Twisted Pine, Boulder

Twisted Pine Brewing, visited on 2/4/12  (http://www.twistedpinebrewing.com/)

Following our stop at Avery, we decided to hit up the nearby Twisted Pine Brewing. We went for a sampler here of six beers and got a free taster of a special beer that will melt your face. The brew pub is smallish, cozy, and was pretty busy. The feel was definitely one of a 'local's brewpub'...we felt welcome, and they were celebrating the launch of their Imperial Indian Black...a black IPA. The pub had a very friendly vibe and there were parents with infants enjoying tasters...the parents, not the infants. Below are the tasting notes for the beers we tried:

Billy's Chilies - 5%abv; light head, solid lacing; "the most interesting beer I've tasted", says Holly..."where's the breakfast burrito?"; Indeed, the breweries site recommends this beer with a breakfast burrito; we both felt like some hot pepper jack cheese and a butter cracker would be a great compliment as well; distinct almost burning nose; very noticeable, although not intense, chili flavor all down the throat; full flavor..."it's fun", she says; great accessible experimental beer; four days after we tried it, I still find myself craving this beer.

Raspberry Wheat - 5%abv; low to little head; little lacing; light raspberry nose; very wheaty; very light in flavor; from Holly: "like drinking raspberry sparkling water with alcohol"; good, easily sessionable fruit beer.

Hoppy Boy - 5%, although I'm not sure; small head; exceptional lacing; lightly hopped; easily sessionable; light in color, prob. light abv w/o knowing; guessing under 60IBUs as well; expect more of a hop-forward flavor from TP's primary hop beer.

Honey Brown - 6%abv; amber to brown in color; light head; serious lacing; tastes like cocoa, but not over the top; easy to drink; made with local honey, but honey flavor kind of hard to find; good slightly sweet flavor

Big Shot Espresso Stout - unsure of the abv; little head; no lacing; dark; probably a great paring with cheesecake; smells like a cup of coffee; slightly espresso bitter; tastes as if a porter and a cup of coffee were poured in to one glass; good beer!; I believe I have a 22oz. of this upstairs...and didn't know it when we tasted

Imperial Indian Black - unsure of abv; this beer was launched the day we visited; dark!; small head; solid all around lacing; very fruity on the nose; hoppy and dark; very good balance; light grapefruit; love the dark/fruity combination; prob the best beer I've tried here; will be looking for a bottle down the road; tasty!

Ghost Face Killah - I have no idea what kind of abvs are in here...and it really doesn't matter; you aren't drinking more than a few sips; I saw a $4.50 12oz bottle at Bubbles last week and almost pulled the trigger; made with a blend of Ghost Chili; almost a metallic pepper smell on the nose; burns my throat immediately; my good lord that burns; this is the hottest beer (or drink!) I've ever or will ever taste; I almost can't type as I'm taking notes; instantly feel like I'm breathing fire; NOT for the faint of heart, fun experimental beer to share with friends.

And that's it! We enjoyed TP and I think Holly counts it among her favorite breweries visited thus far. It looks like there's a light menu of pizza, sammiches and snacks, although we didn't indulge. We'll certainly be picking up a 6er of Billie's Chilies with some good cheese. Yum.